The Hearts of these Star Crossed Voyagers
by beenwithout
Summary: Elara is not a spy, or a criminal, despite what King Caspian thinks. When the horn is blown and the Kings and Queens of old show up they find a very annoyed young woman warning them about invaders from a place across the sea. This is no ordinary attack, there is dark magic behind it and none of the Pevensies are prepared. All will be tested and some might just fall in love.
1. Chapter 1: All I Can Breathe

**A/N: I promised it didn't I? This has been in the works for a while, and it's slow going. To make it clear I do not own Narnia (do you think I'd be sitting on the internet if I did?!) and I do not own the characters from the Narnia series. I do however own my OC's and will beat you up if you steal them. (Just kidding… kinda). ALSO for those of you who read my Loose Ends For All Things, I outlined most of the sequel today :) so Enjoy! **

**XXX**

Panicked shouts penetrated the silence of the dark night. They grew louder and more numerous, quickly joined by the sounds of a fight.

The girl crouched in the cabin, below the deck of the ship, stood and moved silently to the door, peeking through the tiny barred window. Men rushed past, holding swords and knives, all heading above deck.

She frowned and pushed against the door, hoping that in their haste, one of her guards had forgotten to lock it. No such luck. She put her shoulder against it and pushed. Again, nothing happened. Next she took a few steps back and slammed into the door, shoulder first. Pain shot down her arm and she bit her lip to keep from crying out.

The door stayed where it was but there was a splinter in the wood that led straight down to the lock. She glared at it as she massaged her shoulder and sat back down, her back leaning against the wall of the tiny cabin she'd been put in.

The sounds of the fight grew louder, now more like a full out battle than a simple fist fight. Suddenly a bang echoed through the cabin as a man was thrown against the already splintered door. It caved inwards with his weight.

The girl leaned forwards, taking a tentative step towards the door and waiting to see if anyone had noticed it was now open and that there was someone inside.

Peeking through the crack between the now open door and the ruined door jamb, she saw only a dead man slumped on the floor.

She eased the door open and climbed over the man's body, picking up his sword before creeping up the stairs and easing the door to the deck open.

A violent battle surged around her, the gruff pirates from the ship, shouting in their strange incomprehensible tongue, fought with what appeared to be soldiers. Men along with other creatures, fauns, minators and dwarfs. Narnians.

A soldier swung his sword at her, assuming she was one of the pirates on the ship. She ducked quickly and spun, kicking his feet out from under him before slipping away. She had no desire to kill these men, she didn't even know who they were.

She felt a sword at her back and whirled around forcing the man who held the sword to her to duck as she whirled hers at about chest level.

He jumped back up and she was taken by surprise. Instead of a typical soldier, this man was young, probably no more than twenty-five. He wore no armor and held a broad silver sword that gleamed even in the darkness and had a gold lions head at the base of the handle. Everyone in all of Narnia knew that symbol. It was the sign of Aslan.

The man, who could be no other than one of the King's of old, seemed surprised as well. He stopped for a second, staring at her, which gave her the opportunity to swing her sword towards him. King or not, he needed to back off.

He quickly recovered and blocked her shot, aiming one of his own towards her already injured shoulder. She ducked down low, making him miss and step towards her. She took her opportunity to slash at his legs but he jumped over her sword.

The girl didn't even have a moment to appreciate his agility before she was tackled to the ground. A heavy soldier rolled on top of her, pinning her much smaller frame to the deck and wrenching her stolen sword out of her hand.

She pulled back a fist and punched him hard in the jaw. The man let out a grunt and raised his sword to kill her when someone shouted "No!"

The soldier looked up, as did the girl, the non-soldier she had been fighting stood over them, his hand raised to stop the man on top of her from killing her.

"Your highness?" the man questioned, letting his sword drop a little. The battle on the ship was over, the Narnians clearly the victors, and a small crowd of soldiers had amassed around them.

The girl squirmed, drawing unwanted attention to herself. "Let her up" said the King, for the way the soldier addressed him confirmed her suspicions, "We will take her back with us" he decided.

The girl began fighting the man, pushing at him and punching at him everywhere she could reach. She wouldn't go with them, she had to go home to her family to make sure they were alright after the pirate's raid.

A minatour grabbed her by the arms and pulled her out from underneath the soldier. She screamed as pain shot through her injured shoulder. The minatour looked down at her with an apologetic grimace before gently slinging her over his shoulder where she promptly passed out.

**XXX**

"What are we going to do with her?" an annoyed male voice asked.

"We're going to ask her some questions and see if she knows anything about this army from the other side of the ocean" the voice of the King answered.

The girl cracked her eyes open, allowing herself to see the room she was in. It was well lit and beautifully furnished; clearly a room in the castle of the Kings and Queens of Narnia.

She was lying on a large, comfortable bed and in front of her stood three men. One of them was the king she had fought on the ship, which one was he, she wondered, Peter or Edmund?

The other two men looked to be his advisors. The annoyed one spoke again "I don't see how she can help us. She's either a pirate herself or one of _them_ anyway and she won't tell us anything. She could be a spy for all we know!" he complained.

The girl curled her hands into fists, her, a pirate, that was ridiculous. A spy, now that was even worse.

The third man finally spoke "She may provide some useful information. I doubt she is a spy, she's far too young." His voice had a slight accent that the other two didn't posses and because of it she immediately trusted him.

She opened her eyes all the way to get a better look at the room, hoping the men in it wouldn't notice right away. No such luck, immediately the annoyed one glared at her "She's up, ask her your damn questions" he snapped.

The King and the other man, a very tall, very thin man, turned to her. She sat up giving them wary looks.

The skinny one sat on the end of her bed and the King kneeled beside it. Realizing that it was terrible etiquette to keep a King kneeling while she sat on the bed, she began to scramble off it.

"Stop, we will not hurt you" the King said placing a hand on her arm to still her, then he smiled "though I doubt a swordsman such as you has cause to fear from anyone."

The third man rolled his eyes and stomped over to the window but the King ignored him. "I am King Caspian the tenth, King of Narnia, what is your name?" he asked her.

She furrowed her brow, "You're King _Caspian_? Not King Peter or Edmund?" she asked.

Caspian smiled slightly "No, I am not, but Peter and Edmund are like brothers to me. I am sure they don't mind that I am King of Narnia in their absence" he assured her.

The girl raised an eyebrow and looking him over critically. His dark, shoulder length hair was almost as long as hers and his dark skin lent him an exotic look. He was the perfect image of a King, despite her attempts to find fault in him.

"Where are the Kings and Queens of old?" she asked, when she could find nothing obvious to complain about.

The man at the window snorted "I thought you two were supposed to be asking questions, not her" he said still facing out the window

The skinny man gave him a look that he couldn't see "This young lady is confused as to where she is, we at the very least owe her an explanation. My name is Philario, and please ignore him" he said the last part to her with a kind fatherly smile.

The man at the window scoffed again but remained silent as the King turned back to her, "The Kings and Queens of old have returned to their world" he said simply.

She frowned. It made no sense for the Kings and Queens of old to not be in Narnia. It was the entire reason her people had been preparing to join the Narnians.

"My dear, you had better explain who you are, we are as confused as you are" Philario said gently.

The girl sighed, she would have to tell them eventually "My name is Elara, I come from the island of Averin. We are far away from any other civilization and trade mostly with the people of Archenland. We heard a few years ago that the Kings and Queens of old had returned. My people are great believers in Aslan and we wished to be ruled by the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve that he chose." She explained, her polite manner unusual for her.

The man at the window scoffed again "And King Caspian isn't good enough for you?" he snapped, finally turning around and glaring at her.

"Sigan!" Philario snapped at him "There is no reason to terrorize this young woman, if you're not going to help, please leave" he glared at the other man.

Sigan glared back at him before stomping out of the room. King Caspian turned back to Elara "Do you know anything about the ship you were on?" he asked.

She shook her head "I was trying to get to Narnia to speak with the Kings and Queens of old and they kidnapped me. They spoke some foreign language I didn't understand and attacked my people."

The King frowned "We thought they were a ship from an army that is heading towards Narnia. Have you heard anything about the upcoming war then?" he asked, his voice hopeful.

This time Elara nodded "The army from the other side of the sea. They are from a place far north of Narnia and are the most fearsome army I have ever seen."

Caspian and Philario exchanged worried looks before Philario gave her what was supposed to be a reassuring smile. "Come now my dear, you must be tired, let us find you a room to sleep in" he said.

She nodded and climbed off the bed, she dropped into a curtsey for the King and followed Philario out of the room.

They walked down hallway with tall windows along one side and ornate, full length mirrors along the other. She glanced out the windows to see a courtyard filled with people and a drawbridge beyond. Glancing the other way she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror.

It was then that she realized what a mess she was. Her short mess of red-brown curls smelled of sea salt and was sticking out in every which direction. The kohl she usually wore around her eyes to keep the sun out of them, was smudged around her eye sockets, making her face look gaunt and sad. She had a small cut on her cheek and her sun-browned skin was smudged with leftover sea salt, blood and dirt. The mans clothes she was wearing weren't in much better condition.

She faced forward again and followed Philario, trying not to think about how she just met the current king of Narnia looking like she'd just been dragged out of the sea.

"Sir?" she asked politely, walking quickly so she could walk with him.

He looked down at her "Yes?"

She bit her lip and had to remind herself to stop. Her mother usually did that for her, but her mother was far away now. "I was wondering when the Kings and Queens of old were coming back?" she asked.

He chuckled "Coming back? Why my dear the last of the Kings and Queens of old left Narnia some time ago. High King Peter and High Queen Susan were told by Aslan that they would never return five years ago. King Edmund and Queen Lucy were told the same after their last visit two years ago. They simply will not be coming back to Narnia."

Elara had to try very hard not to let her jaw drop. Never coming back? But they were the entire reason her people had reinvested their faith in Narnia. They couldn't just never come back. Where had they even gone to anyway?

She carefully arranged her face into an expression of disinterest "Well then it is a good thing King Caspian is ruling Narnia" she said.

Philario nodded enthusiastically "The great Aslan himself deemed him King of Narnia in the place of the Kings and Queens of old" he sounded almost like a proud father.

Elara bit her lip again. Aslan did say Caspian should rule, and she did think he was a good King, but what would the Averinian people think of it? They had vested all their faith in Aslan's original four, the rulers of Narnia's golden age.

She was still mulling over the idea of talking her people into accepting Caspian as King when the man she was following suddenly stopped in front of a door at the end of the hallway. He pushed it open and led her inside.

The room was beautiful, large and comfortable looking with a small balcony that perched over the deep ravine below.

"Will this be sufficient?" Philario asked.

Elara grinned "This will be perfect! It is far bigger than my room in the palace at home, and I'm the King's…" she trailed off realizing a second too late that she had given away too much.

"You are the King's what?" he prompted.

She thought fast, the kings…. "Favorite ambassador" she improvised tacking on a smile at the end, "The ambassadors live in the palace as well as the King and his family."

He nodded "How interesting. I am sure you will be comfortable here, you must be very tired after such a long and strenuous journey. Rest and you will feel better" he said, before dipping his head to her and exiting the room.

The second he was gone Elara began to pace. Her people had put their faith in the Kings and Queens of old and in her to find them.

Caspian seemed like a good king, a kind man and a trustworthy person. She was sure he would do a good job as King of Narnia, but her people were very closed minded.

They were the descendants of a gypsy tribe from the Southern kingdoms and had been around when the Kings and Queens of old ruled Narnia. They migrated to the island where they had lived for the last thousand years. They hadn't had much contact with outside people, retaining their culture and keeping in their old ways.

There had to be some way to convince her people that Caspian could rule them. Personally Elara was dying to join Narnia. She loved the island but this was the first time ever she had been off it. Mostly she dealt with the traders from Archenland and longed to join them as she watched them load their ships and sail away from the only place she had ever known.

She had barely seen any of Narnia, but already she was in love with the castle and sure she would adore the rest of Narnia as well.

But none of that helped her situation. Flopping back on the large comfortable bed, Elara stared hard at the ceiling, willing it to give her the answers.

As she saw it, her options were; admit defeat and go home, or try to convince her people to follow King Caspian. Neither option sounded inviting.

She wished she could just return the Kings and Queens of old to Narnia.

She sat straight up, her back cracking loudly in the process but she ignored it along with the slight twinge of pain from her injured shoulder.

That was it. She would have to find a way to bring back the Kings and Queens of old! It was perfect, her people would have someone to follow, and even King Caspian admitted he thought of Kings Peter and Edmund as brothers. Everyone would be happy!

And Elara could stay in Narnia as ambassador of Averin, she would be able to see the world and broaden her extremely narrow horizons.

Now all she had to figure out was how to summon the Kings and Queens of old. She fell back on the bed again, that was so much easier said than done.

She let the Narnian legends she had been told as a child run through her head. The story of the Hundred Years Winter at the hands of Jadis, the white witch, the story of the battle for Narnia between the army of Aslan and the forces of the Witch, the tales of the majestic Cair Paravel, which now lay in ruins, and story after story of the Kings and Queens of old. Their talents and adventures as they ruled Narnia throughout its golden age.

Then it hit her, Queen Susan's horn! It was supposed to summon back the Kings and Queens of old whenever Narnia was in trouble, rumor had it that a Telmarine Prince, most likely Caspian now that she thought of it, had used it to call them back a few years before to return the land to its rightful owners, the Narnians.

The horn was to be blown for help in times of trouble, and from the little Elara knew of the army coming from the Northern Seas, trouble was on its way. In all honesty Narnia needed help, and who better to help than the old rulers, the ones who had fought alongside the Narnians to reclaim their land from both the White Witch and the Telmarines.

She jumped up, if Caspian had been the last to use the horn then it must be there somewhere in the castle. And she was going to find it.

**XXX**

"There is nothing we can do, your highness" Philario said as he, Caspian, Sigan and another one of the king's advisors, Rodrigo, stood around a large map of Narnia.

Caspian shook his head "There must be _something_ we can do. Anything. I will not go into this war unprepared" he said, his voice firm and stressed.

"I know you want to be prepared your highness, but we cannot know where they will choose to attack" Rodrigo pointed out.

Caspian slammed a fist on the edge of the table "I will not leave Narnia unprotected! We must find a way to prepare for this war" he snapped.

Sigan frowned down at the map "We can amass troops all along the border and use scouts and spies to figure out where they will land and attack" he suggested.

"Do you know how much resources and time that would take?" Philario exclaimed.

"Then we should just sail out and meet them, Narnia's fleet is the finest in the world and I am sure we can win" Rodrigo jumped in.

The three descended into bickering and Caspian tuned them out. This war loomed on disaster and uncertainty and as young as he was he had no idea how to handle it.

He wished Aslan was there, to guide them, or even Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. Especially Susan. She had such a level head, and he wondered what she would do about this attack.

Probably find a way to counter them. A way to lead them someplace where the Narnian forces had the advantage, where they could fight on their own terms and, just maybe win.

The talk stopped as the door opened and a redheaded dwarf with a sarcastic attitude walked in. Trumpkin had been a dear friend of Queen Lucy's and had been extremely cross that he hadn't seen her on her last visit to Narnia.

"What? Am I interruptin' something?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No" Rodrigo said coldly. He had been one of Caspian the ninth's advisors and had never really taken to the Narnians. He was insulted that his King would consult with them on things, from war to treaties to how many new ships to build or how many bouquets of flowers to make for a banquet. He still thought they were inferior and was rather unpleasant to the Narnians Caspian trusted the most.

"We were discussing what to do about the coming army" Philario explained.

They had heard about the army coming by sea about a month before. A griffin scout had seen them from the Northern Deserts and flew as fast as he could to inform the King of their existence and direction. They were a large fleet and therefore very slow but they were nearing Narnia and for the last week tension had been high.

Trumpkin humphed and approached the table, leaning against it on his tiptoes to see the map. "Well it looks like there isn't much we can do until they get closer" he said and leaned back down to look up at the four men "And does anyone know why there's a strange girl wandering around the castle?"

**XXX**

Elara was hopelessly lost. She had checked every room on the hall where her room was located and every room on the hallway next to that. She'd climbed down a set of stairs and explored the floor below her own, wandering through hallways and up and down staircases until she couldn't even tell which direction she had come from.

She spotted a large set of oak doors and made a beeline for them, hoping there would be something interesting behind them.

She was right. The room she walked into, which just had to be the library of the castle, was huge, bookshelves towered from floor to ceiling and armchairs were strategically placed in front of the windows around the massive oval-shaped room, providing perfect places to sit and read.

The few open wall spaces that weren't covered by bookshelves, were taken up by artifacts mounted on the wall. One was the large sword of a centaur and another, the scale of a dragon. Further along the wall hung a beautiful bow and set of arrows. Across from it was a tiny dagger in a red sheath and over the fireplace at the far end, was mounted an ivory horn.

Elara grinned and made straight for it. She dragged over one of the armchairs and stood on it to reach the horn. It was easy to pull off the wall and once she had it, she hopped back down.

The horn was beautiful, its intricate engravings wrapping around the base and opening. It was surely Queen Susan's horn.

She took a deep breath and then another. This was for her people, this was for King Caspian and most of all, this was for Narnia.

So, she brought the horn to her lips and blew.


	2. Chapter 2: Pennies Down A Well

**A/N: Sorry this took so long! I spent the last week ish getting back to school and classes started today. I needed some writing therapy. But here is chapter 2! To the lovelies who reviewed, you're amazing! Both of you! **

**XXX**

Peter Pevensie closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. "Yes sir" he said and hung up the phone.

Many people would consider Peter lucky to have found such a nice job at the bank. He was paid well and all he had to do was exactly what his boss told him to.

But that was the problem. His boss was demanding and corrupt. He constantly needed something or other and on more than one occasion he had asked Peter for the second key to the double key vault. He was a man with no morals and no scruples.

Peter found himself more and more frustrated with the man who treated him like a personal servant and abused his service.

He tried his hardest not to think of Narnia in the year and a half since he'd returned from his most recent and final visit. But every time his boss barked another command at him, he remembered that he used to be a king.

It broke his heart that he would never go back, that he would never be able to see the beautiful open land of Narnia or the centaurs as they galloped along the open beaches of Cair Paravel. He would never see Aslan again or Caspian, a man he had great respect for after seeing how hard he fought for Narnia.

He trusted that Narnia was in good hands with Caspian and once Edmund and Lucy had come back from their most recent visit to Narnia, they'd told him Narnia was at peace under its new King's rule.

Peter was settled into his new life, living in America, in the city but near enough to his parents house in the suburbs to go visit Susan, Edmund and Lucy, the latter of whom had moved to the states a month or so ago and were still adjusting themselves to life there. His job paid well and he had good hours, he knew he should consider himself lucky but he missed Narnia.

"Mr. Pevensie?" one of the receptionists knocked on his doorframe. She was a young girl, a year out of secondary school and very pretty, her sandy blonde hair pulled back into a loose bun and her pale face clear and smiling.

"Yes Mary?" he was pulled out of his thoughts as she walked into his office and sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Mr. Donne called, he wants you to meet him downtown for lunch at Le Pescadeux" she said naming the expensive French restaurant a mile or so from the office.

"Thanks Mary" Peter said, getting up and pulling his jacket off the back of his chair. Mary sat in front of his desk still, watching him with an almost dazed look in her eyes. "Mary?" he asked leaning towards her, his brow creased in concern for her.

"Oh!" she straightened up and shook her head slightly "Sorry Mr. Pevensie" she blushed and Peter realized she'd been staring at him. He bit the inside of his mouth to stop himself from smiling and pulled his jacket on. "Can I call you a taxi?" Mary asked, her face still red.

Peter shook his head "It's a lovely day out, I think I'll walk" he smiled at her one last time before walking out of his office. As he made his way to the front door of the bank, his fellow employees greeted him. One of the tellers named James, who was the closest thing Peter had to a friend in America waved and rolled his eyes, knowing exactly where Peter was headed.

The secretaries all smiled coyly at him and batted their eyelashes hoping to catch his attention. "Have a nice lunch Mr. Pevensie," one of them called.

"Thank you" he smiled back at her as he pushed open the door and walked out into the sunshine. Living in America was very different from living in England, it was cloudier in England, the sun rarely peeking through them. In America it was sunny most days, and much warmer, even in the winter.

The streets were full of people going out to lunch downtown, all walking the same way as Peter, from the banking district.

After about ten minutes of walking he was assaulted by the rich smells of the restaurants of downtown and the expensive perfumes of the ladies shopping. It was a unique experience to live in such a large city, but he much preferred the calm beauty of the open country of Narnia.

As he stopped at a corner to get his bearings he heard a croaking voice from his left. Peter turned to see an old homeless man, sitting on the street holding an empty tin can in a shaking hand, a few coins clanking around in the bottom of it, "You, boy, come here" he commanded.

Peter looked around, no one else seemed to notice the man, so he stepped forward.

The man smiled a gap-toothed smile "You have someplace to be, young man" he said, and as Peter leaned closer he realized the man was blind, "You have someplace to be but you aren't going to it" the man continued.

Peter felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as the man gestured towards the alley behind him in which a wild wind was blowing, rustling up litter from the ground. The wind grew stronger and he glanced around to see if anyone else saw it. The other people on the street continued to walk right past him, ignorant to the fact that bricks were now rattling loose from the wall in the alley.

Suddenly seized by a powerful sense of déjà vu, Peter remembered what this reminded him of and where he'd gone through it before. In an underground station back in England a ferocious wind had ripped apart the station as the train zoomed by and he and his siblings had ended up in Narnia. But that couldn't be what was happening now could it? Aslan himself had told Peter he would never return to Narnia. Then why did he have the powerful urge to walk forward into the wind?

He turned back to the old man who winked up at him with his gap-toothed grin. A hole had opened up in the dirty brick wall at the end of the alley and Peter walked towards it. By the time he reached it, it was the size of a door and he could see a beautiful beach through it, the tiny shape of a ship on the horizon.

He looked back one last time, out of the alley to the world he belonged to now, the normal world where he had a job and responsibilities, and noticed the old man was gone from the entrance of the alley.

Convinced more than ever that this was the entryway to Narnia, Peter turned back to the hole and walked through it.

**XXX**

Guards burst into the room and Elara turned, "What have you done?" one of them asked gruffly.

She looked at him for a second before deciding to play stupid "Nothing, at least I hope nothing, I saw this pretty horn and wondered what it would sound like, sorry if I bothered you" she smiled sweetly.

The guard's menacing expression dropped "Oh, sorry miss" he said, a sheepish look on his face before he turned and ushered the other guards out the door.

**XXX**

Susan Pevensie smiled up at the sunny sky above the garden party she was attending. They were her favorite part of life in America. Garden parties. Everyone always looked so nice and there was always music and little appetizers carried around on trays by well-dressed waiters. The gardens themselves were always beautiful as well and she loved being out in the fresh air.

"Well, Miss Pevensie, you look simply lovely!" a voice in front of her said and Susan looked away from the sky. In front of her stood Pauline Hitchney, the mother of the young man who had been mooning over Susan for the past few months. Matthew Hitchney was good looking and very sweet, just the kind of boy she wanted.

"Thank you Mrs. Hitchney!" Susan beamed, "You look very nice yourself" she complimented the middle aged woman.

Pauline preened and took a seat next to Susan on the bench in the midst of flower beds, "I simply love this weather, its so much nicer than the winter" she commented.

Susan nodded and murmured her agreement, looking up to the sky once again. Almost before her eyes a cloud drifted into the shape of a large lion in the sky. It reminded her of something but it took Susan a moment to realize what.

It had been a long time since she'd thought of Narnia. She'd accepted that she didn't live there anymore and she was settling into her life in America nicely.

Pauline chattered on but Susan was only half listening as she watched the lion-cloud and let the memories flood her head. All those years she and her siblings had spent ruling the magical world in the wardrobe and how wonderful it had been, if not a little lonely. The last time they had gone back, things had changed, they had fought to return Narnia to the Narnians. And of course, Caspian.

She bit hard on her lip to stop herself from thinking of him, and how much she'd missed him in the few months after they had returned from Narnia. Then one day she had just moved on. She was sick of pining over a man who she would never see again, so she started focusing on men she saw all the time. She had become quite the flirt, though she never meant any of it.

"Susan?" Pauline's high pitched voice cut back into her thoughts.

"Yes? I'm sorry, I seem to have gone into a daze" she said looking back down at the older woman next to her.

"I asked how your family has been? Your brother is working in the city, no?" Pauline inquired. Her voice was starting to wear on Susan's nerves.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Hitchney, I'm feeling a little faint. I think I've had too much sun, I think I'll go inside for a bit" she lied, standing up.

"Oh! Do you need help? I'm sure Matthew is around here somewhere…" she trailed off as she looked around the crowded garden for her son.

"No I'm fine thank you, I should be out again in a few minutes. Enjoy yourself and don't worry about me" Susan assured her with a fake smile before making her escape into the large house to which the garden belonged.

The house was mostly empty, the staff and hosts outside, entertaining guests. Susan wandered through the halls, letting herself get lost in the midst of sun-rooms and living rooms and even the entry hall with its arched ceiling that reminded her so of the castle at Cair Paravel. A castle that she would never see again.

She continued down another hallway, so lost in thought she jumped when the door to her right bumped in its frame.

She turned to look at it, confusion across her face. It bumped again and Susan jumped back. The knob began to twist and turn as if someone on the other side was trying to get out.

It was a simple, unoffending, white painted wood door, but Susan was suddenly terrified of it. It bumped again this time cracking open. She bit her lip and looked down the hallway to either side of her. No one was there and she felt the strangest compulsion to open the door, through which the teeniest crack of light now filtered.

She stretched out her hand and as her fingertips touched the doorknob the compulsion grew stronger. Closing her hand around the doorknob, Susan pulled it open.

Through the door was an open meadow scattered with wildflowers and a river in the distance. The scene looked like something out of a nature painting and she immediately knew where the door led.

Susan was left on the verge of what would be one of the most difficult decisions of her life.

The warm Narnian breeze beckoned her forwards but her feet stayed rooted to the hardwood floor. Memories of her time in Narnia assaulted her mind, warring with the advantages of staying where she was. Where it was safe and comfortable and where she would most likely go back outside and flirt with Matthew and he would propose to her by the end of the summer.

Susan set her shoulders and made her decision, because deep down she knew she would never be capable of living a normal life with a normal husband after her experience in the magical land where she was once Queen.

She stepped forward, once, twice and finally through the white door, and into Narnia.

**XXX**

Caspian walked quickly through the long hallways of his castle, searching for the young woman who had, in the course of a few hours, become his biggest problem. He'd heard the horn, as had almost everyone else in the castle.

It wasn't that the horn itself would do anything, but everyone knew it wasn't to be touched. Maybe Elara was new but she shouldn't have just picked up the thing and blown.

Hearing it and remembering what it had brought a rush of memories that tore Caspian open. He never admitted it but he spent most of his time when he wasn't running Narnia, either thinking of Susan Pevensie, or trying not to think of Susan Pevensie.

No one knew how much she still meant to him and he had resolved to never let anyone know. And for now, he had to find the young woman at hand and stop thinking about one who was gone to him forever.

**XXX**

"Yes Edmund?" the middle aged teacher at Edmund Pevensie's new school asked wearily as he raised his hand.

"May I go to the restroom?" he asked respectfully. The woman nodded with a minimal rolling of her eyes and turned her eyes back to the class to continue her lecture on the political issues of Shakespeare's _Othello_, a play Edmund had read at his school back in England.

School was probably the hardest thing for the former King of Narnia. It was a waste of time in his opinion, he had ruled an entire land, granted, with the help of his siblings, but really, what more education did he need?

Apparently a lot seeing as he wasn't one of the better students in his class.

Actually, Edmund got in a lot of trouble in school. He was overly proud and didn't take well to the nasty remarks from the other boys. His pride combined with his short temper -though his temper was nothing compared to how Peter's had been and on occasion still was- got him into fights more than he'd like to admit.

His mother simply didn't know what to do about him and his father was working so often that the rare times he saw his youngest son it was to mutter a tired hello and slouch off to sleep.

Edmund for his part, did try to fit in at the new school, but between thoughts of England and thoughts of Narnia, he spent most of his time with his head in the clouds instead of paying attention to what was going on in class or making friends.

The hallways were eerily empty and the rubber soles of his shoes squeaked loudly on the linoleum. Slowly the hum of classes behind closed doors faded and he was left in a strange silence in the yellow tiled hallway.

He pushed through the door to the boys bathroom and wandered over to the mirrors.

Two of the three reflected back the grimy bathroom, but the last one showed an image of a woods he knew could only be in Narnia.

Edmund blinked, hoping the image would disappear.

It didn't.

He reached out a tentative hand to touch the mirror and felt his pointer finger go through the glass. He jerked his hand back and stared at the mirror in awe. He wasn't supposed to go back to Narnia, not at all. Ever.

Yet here was a mirror that would lead him right back to the only place he got any respect.

As the second son, his opinion at home was second to Peters and since he wasn't the youngest his parents didn't fret over him the way they did Lucy. It was that position that had gotten him into trouble the first time he'd been to Narnia. He knew better now but the temptation to even just visit was strong.

He could see Caspian again and see how things were progressing in Narnia. Maybe he'd even see Aslan.

Edmund shook his head hard and stepped back. He knew he shouldn't be there, not in Narnia. He had learned what he could from it and Aslan had his reasons for leaving the Pevensies in their own world.

He sighed and watched as a bird soared through the cloudless sky and a centaur galloped towards the woods from some far off point he couldn't see.

The scene would have been calm and serene but something was slightly off. The hawk looked like it was circling looking for something in the trees and the centaur was galloping with a mission rather than just enjoying the fresh air.

Was Narnia in trouble? Edmund drew closer to the mirror again. The centaur definitely looked worried and the hawk was dipping lower and lower, flying in what was clearly a search pattern.

He frowned and looked around the grimy blue tiled bathroom one last time. If Narnia was in trouble, then there was a reason for the mirror into it and Edmund couldn't not go.

So he grabbed the edges of the mirror and plunged himself headfirst into it.

**XXX**

Elara turned as the doors to the library banged open. She was now sitting in one of the spacious armchairs in front of the fire, a book in her lap and the horn on the table next to her. Half the castle had probably heard it so she figured there was no use pretending it hadn't been her that had blown it.

Through the doors strode Caspian, looking none too happy. He stopped for a second just inside the door, his dark eyes searching, they fixated on her and he started walking towards her again.

Elara stood, "Your majesty" she curtseyed. He narrowed his eyes at her, suspecting her polite behavior.

"You blew the horn" he said shortly.

Elara shrugged, she could play ignorant with the guards but not with the King. "Your highness, my people need the Kings and Queens of old. I have to try everything in my power to get them. As a King you must understand?" she said, her words carrying a wisdom that went beyond her years.

Caspian raised an eyebrow and indicated for her to sit down. She did so and he took the armchair across from her. "I do understand, and I admire you for your loyalty to your people, but the horn does not work" he told her, the confidence in his words born from experience.

She frowned "What do you mean it doesn't work?" she asked, her face scrunched in confusion.

He sighed, he didn't particularly feel like explaining this to her, she was just an annoying chit from some island. But the look on her face somehow compelled him to continue "The Kings and Queens of old are very close to me and I respect their judgment on many things. There have been many times in the past five years when I felt I needed their help. I blew the horn and nothing happened."

She quirked her mouth to the side and furrowed her brow "Maybe, your highness, you didn't really need their help. But now, Narnia is in peril, as is my home. If the Kings and Queens of old fail us now, then we may not see the end of this."

**XXX**

"Lucy! Catch!" one of the boys in Lucy Pevensie's class threw a ball to her and she snagged it deftly out of the air.

They boy arched an eyebrow at her coordination and indicated that she throw the ball back to him. She did so and continued walking along the edge of the playground outside the school she went to.

It had been a strange day so far, though not outright. Everything had gone normally. Lucy had woken up in the morning along with a very grumpy Edmund, eaten the breakfast their mother had made them of scrambled eggs and toast and then they had gone off to school. But something in Lucy's head had been on edge all day, she could feel a thickness in the air that hadn't seemed to effect anyone else, but had her nervous and bouncy. Something big was going to happen and she was simply waiting for it.

Lucy didn't much like her new school. In her opinion all the kids were immature and self important. She, like all her siblings, missed being Queen or Narnia. It was the most heartbreaking for her to be away from Narnia. The beautiful land she had discovered in the wardrobe meant the world to her. It was what had helped her grow up and what helped her understand why she could never go back.

It didn't stop her from missing Caspian, Reepecheep, Trumpkin and even Mr. Tumnus from all those years ago on her first visit. And she missed Aslan. Especially Aslan.

A soft wind blew past her, rustling up fallen leaves and flower petals. She smiled as she watched them twirl upwards, caught in the breeze and dance into a formation. Her smile faded to a frown and then a grin of excitement as the leaves and petals formed into the shape of a person. A person who now beaconed her forwards as it drifted towards the woods.

Without even a glance back to see that no one was watching her, Lucy followed the petals, reminded of the times in Narnia when the wind had spoken to her this way.

The form filtered between trees and she continued to follow it. The rest of her class had begun to move back towards the school building as they prepared to end their brief recess but she paid them no mind as she continued to follow the breeze. The small wooded area behind her school seemed to grow larger and Lucy knew she was entering Narnia.

She paused briefly. Aslan had told her she'd learned all she could from that world and that she would not be returning. But the wind beaconed her forward again and Lucy knew, deep down that she was truly needed.

She took another few steps and the sounds of the students back at her school fell away as she found herself in Narnia.

**XXX**

Eustace Scrubb had no idea where he was. All he had done was open the gate to the garden and suddenly he was in a library.

It had to be Narnia. Nothing else would have caused him to appear in some strange place. He looked at the books, neatly sitting on the nearest shelf. The titles written on the spines were in a strange language he didn't understand and he nodded. He was in Narnia all right. He wondered if he could find Caspian. Assuming that Caspian was still alive. From what Edmund and Lucy had told him, he knew time passed differently in Narnia and hundreds of years could have gone by since his last visit.

Eustace heard something behind him and whirled around to see a young woman staring at him, with her hands on her hips and Caspian staring at him in openmouthed awe.

Elara was very confused. One minute she was talking to the king and the next this strange blonde boy in even stranger clothes was standing in the library. "King Peter?" she asked tentatively when the boy turned around, "No you're too young, could you be King Edmund?" she asked.

"Eustace!" Caspian exclaimed, calling the boy neither of the Kings of old's names.

The boy's face broke into a smile "Caspian, good to see you" he said and shook hands with the King.

Elara stared at the two in growing horror. Oh no, this was not one of the Kings of old. This was a strange, scrawny boy called Eustace. A boy that Elara doubted very much, would gain her people's confidence or help Narnia out of its troubles.


	3. Chapter 3: Where It Goes

**A/N: Since I got LOVELY reviews for the last chapter (really, they make my day and make me update faster) here s the next chapter! It does kinda move very slow in the beginning, but I have up through chapter 9 outlined! So enjoyyy!**

**XXX**

Lucy was thrilled. She was back in Narnia, the place she thought of most as her home. She had spent the most time there after all. During she and her siblings' first trip into the wardrobe, they stayed and ruled Narnia for many years. It was where she had once grown up, though it was very changed now.

The wind that had led her to Narnia had stopped and the forest was eerily still. Usually the trees would dance and acknowledge her presence in some way. However today they were standing stark still, almost in fear.

"It's alright" she said, placing her hand on the nearest tree trunk, "I'm Lucy, I won't hurt you."

The forest was still dead silent but she felt the tree shift the tiniest bit under her touch. She smiled, but it was short lived.

At some un-heard signal, men jumped up from their hiding places behind trees and bushes, out of the branches above her head. She screamed and ducked against the tree trunk, holding her hands over her head.

To her surprise the men circled around her swords drawn, pointing them at her. Lucy looked up, confusion and just a little bit of fear in her expression. Narnia was supposed to be a haven for her, not someplace where scary men pointed swords at her.

"Who are you?" one of them asked. He seemed to be the leader, standing a little closer to her than the others. He was huge and intimidating, but he had smile lines around his mouth and his brown eyes were rich and warm.

"I-I'm Queen Lucy the valiant" she answered quietly.

"Speak up!" the man snapped, nothing in his tone giving any credit to the smile lines around his mouth and eyes.

Now she was annoyed, how dare these men speak to her so in her own country. She may not be their queen anymore but she once was, and that position demanded respect. "I am Queen Lucy the valiant" she said standing up and, putting her hands on her hips.

Her confidence gave the men pause. She wasn't as young as she used to be and it had been years since her first visit to Narnia, when she had been young and adorable. She seemed like someone who just might be a queen.

"Well then your highness" the man said mockingly, "Why don't we take you to the King and see how he likes spies." Without warning one of the other men picked up Lucy and swung her over his shoulder. Apparently she hadn't grown enough to escape being man-handled.

Screaming and squealing, she squirmed and kicked as the man who had picked her up walked her over to a horse and tossed her over it.

Even in England where she wasn't a queen, she would have been highly offended. Her outrage grew when someone gagged her.

The man who had picked her up mounted the horse behind her so she got a face full of his knee. He spurred his horse into motion and as they began riding with the rest of the company of men, Lucy realized she was good and caught until they got to whatever King the not-so-smiley man had spoken of.

It seemed that Narnia was a much scarier place than it had been on her last visit.

**XXX**

The second Susan stepped through the door, she wanted to go back. She used to be good at making decisions and sticking with them. When she was queen of Narnia she had been fair and level headed in all her choices as a ruler. Lucy got to be the sweet one, Peter and Edmund the rambunctious fighters and she was the fair one.

Ever since she had accepted that she would never return to the land in the wardrobe, she had become a much simpler person. Her life had demanded it. The most difficult decision she made now a days was what dress to wear to what garden party.

She was rather happy with the one she had picked out for the party she had just left. It was white with tiny blue flowers embroidered on it and left her pale shoulders bare. It made her feel young and pretty and now that she was away from the world where that was her biggest concern, she desperately wanted to go back.

Whirling around, she waved her hands through the air, attempting to make contact with a door of some sort. There was nothing.

"Aslan!" she tried, "I made a mistake! I want to go home now!" she called. Nothing but the wind answered her.

With a huff and a stomp of her foot, she glared up at the sky. There were no lion shaped clouds now, no one to answer her calls. She shook her head. She should have known better than to call for the silly lion anyway. Narnia was no longer real to her, it was simply a fond and blurry memory and she was happy to keep it that way.

The tiny voice in the back of her head that was all that was left of the girl she had been in Narnia reminded her that it was very real right now since she had walked right into it.

The other Susan told the voice to hush while she figured out a way back. The voice huffed impatiently, waiting for the current Susan to realize she wasn't getting back anytime soon and waving her hands in the air like an idiot wasn't helping.

And the other Susan- great, now she was bipolar.

Stopping, Susan closed her eyes and rubber her temples. She was in Narnia, there was no changing that at least for now and from past experience she knew she wasn't getting out until she'd fixed whatever Aslan needed her for.

But this was her first time entering the strange and beautiful world in the wardrobe without her siblings. Having Peters strong –if unfounded- confidence and Lucy's wide eyed wonder would have helped her a lot at the moment. And then of course Edmund's matter of fact tone informing them where they were and what was going on as if he'd pulled it out of thin air. It would cause an argument but of course he'd be right. Susan sighed, this was going to be difficult without them.

Letting the Narnian Susan take over the big decisions for the time being, Susan headed for the river. That's where any traffic might be that would see her and help her get to Caspian's castle. That is, if Caspian was still alive. The thought felt like a knife in her gut and the current Susan was surprised at how much it affected her. After all she'd put him out of her head once she'd accepted she would not be returning to Narnia. Or at least she'd tried to. Thoughts of the new King of Narnia popped into her head unbidden at the most inconvenient times. Namely when she was flirting with Matthew.

Pushing thoughts of Caspian and the short relationship they had shared out of her head, the Narnian Susan focused on finding familiar landmarks. The American Susan was complaining about how messy her pretty, white shoes were getting.

After what was probably an hour, though felt like more to Susan, she stumbled upon the part of the river where she was nearly positive the Telmarines had built a bridge, which Aslan destroyed.

She stopped and looked around, trying her best to remember how to get back to the Telmarine fortress where, if they still ruled, their King would be.

She had just decided to go left when she saw something swooping through the sky. Looking up she spotted a griffin plunging towards her. Torn between running –the American Susan was all for that option- and standing her ground –which was what the instincts of the Narnian Susan said to do- she dropped to the ground where she stood, peeking up at the griffin and making herself a smaller target.

It didn't slow as it came closer and Susan swore she saw someone riding it. Squinting her eyes to get a better view, she gasped.

No, it couldn't be… but was it..?

**XXX**

"How have you been, Eustace?" Caspian asked the little blonde boy as he handed him a cup of tea.

The boy took it with a smile "Good, not much time has passed since I was last here" he answered, casting a furtive look at the glaring woman who sat in the chair next to Caspian. She was clearly unhappy that he was there, though he had no idea why.

"It has been two years here since you were last here, tell me how are your cousins?" Caspian asked, leaning forward in anticipation.

"Well Edmund and Lucy have gone to America, their entire family is there now. Peter's got a job at a bank and I haven't heard anything from Susan, but my mum said her mum told her Susan should be engaged by the end of the summer.

Caspian tried his hardest not to let this information about Susan bother him. He knew she should have moved on by then. She was never coming back to Narnia and she deserved a good life in her new home. Still the thought of her with someone else hurt him more than he would ever let on.

Before he could fully compose himself, Elara exploded out of her chair, "Are you talking about the Kings and Queens of old!?" she exclaimed.

Eustace looked almost terrified for a moment before answering "Yes, I think so. Edmund, Lucy, Peter and Susan are my cousins" he elaborated.

Elara smiled and it changed her entire face, while before she had looked intimidating, when she smiled she was lovely. "Eustace, is it?" she asked.

"Yes" he answered, growing suspicion in his voice.

Elara sensed this and sighed inwardly. She knew she was making a bad impression on the boy, but she couldn't help it. The Kings and Queens of old were her last hope. She needed to get off her Island so badly, she wanted to see the world and if the Kings and Queens of old weren't part of Narnia, she would never get to.

Her motives weren't entirely selfish either, there was a war coming, everyone could feel it and Narnia needed them.

So she laid it all on the table for this boy. "Look, Eustace" she started, losing some of the charm, "Narnia is facing a war, everyone here is in danger, my people too. No one knew what to do, so I blew the horn hoping the Kings and Queens of old would return. We need them, Narnia's never gone through a war without them. To my people they are practically gods."

Eustace nodded "Alright, well then, why in Aslan's name am I here?" he asked, his question directed at both Elara and Caspian.

The King shrugged, "Possibly because you are all the horn managed to summon" it was as good a guess as any, but it didn't help their predicament.

"Nothing personal, Eustace, but I don't really see how you could lead an army or gain the approval of my people" Elara told him, flopping back into her chair.

The pale boy bristled, but he had to admit she was right.

Caspian cleared his throat "Well, since there appears to be nothing we can do right now to stop the army coming by sea, would you two like a tour so you don't get lost and touch things you are not supposed to?" he asked, directing his last words at Elara, who simply shrugged and raised her eyebrows.

**XXX**

Peter had been staring hard at the horizon for the last twenty minutes. The tiny ship he had seen from the alleyway in his world through which he had entered Narnia, was not alone.

At least he was pretty sure it wasn't. It was all so far away, but Peter could swear that the smudge on the horizon behind the ship was about a hundred more ships.

But why would there be a hundred ships heading for Narnia? Most of the Narnians preferred the land, or the few lakes and rivers scattered between Cair Paravel and Lanterns Waste. It was Peter and his siblings who loved the ocean.

Perhaps whoever was King of Narnia now had set up a fleet. Or the Telmarines had decided they liked the water too.

Then why so many ships? And why all together? The smudge of a fleet on the horizon looked more like a war fleet than anything else. Peter just couldn't think of who would attack Narnia.

He looked up at the cliffs behind him and recognized the ruins of the once beautiful Cair Paravel. He sighed, pushing his bangs out of his eyes as memories of his golden age as King assaulted him.

Needing a moment, Peter pulled off his shoes and socks, and sat down at the edge of the water and let it lap at his feet. He propped his knees up in the sand and let his elbows rest on them as he stared out to sea. His thoughts were not on the confusing maybe- fleet of ships heading for the very shore he sat on, but on the days when Cair Paravel was more than just ruins on a cliff, when he was king and he lived the life he was truly meant for.

He sighed and closed his eyes, letting the Narnian sea breeze wash over him. Then he jumped up with a cry as a wave came up a little further than the others, soaking half his pants.

Twisting around to look he saw that the entire back of his work slacks were soaked. Just perfect. He grabbed his shoes with minimal grumbling and set off towards the woods. He needed to figure out what was going on in Narnia and he knew exactly where he needed to go to do that.

As he walked towards the woods barely visible beyond the cliffs he wondered how much time had passed since he had last been here. The last time a thousand years had passed since he and his siblings had left Narnia the first time. Their second visit was much briefer, a few weeks at most, though he couldn't be sure, those days had blurred together to him after he had started trying to forget Narnia.

He smiled slightly at how foolish he had been, forget Narnia? How? It was one of the few places that was truly home to him. His childhood had been turbulent with the two times his parents had moved as they'd had more children, then once the war came he had been sent off to the country. And a few years later, he'd gone to live in America. Narnia was the only place he had really spent an extended period of time and had been able to call home.

He reached the woods and slowed, Narnia could have changed immensely since he had last been there and though he might be High King, the forest had its own power. And like his mother had warned he and his siblings when they were children, nature always wins. What he wouldn't give for his sword right then.

With a sigh her entered the forest, looking warily around him for any signs of an attack. Last time he came to Narnia, he was extremely open to attack and they were attacked often.

This time, he wasn't going to be unprepared.

It took him time to get used to moving through the forest again. It was so different from the city he was used to. Instead of concrete sidewalks, the ground was rough and uneven, roots poked up from the dirt, tripping him as he walked. There was also the fact that there was no one else in the woods. The trees were his only company and they stood still and silent, watching and waiting.

After an hour of walking, according to his watch, Peter heard movement to his left. It was far off, but it sounded like horses, or centaurs.

Quickly, he made his way towards the sounds, making very little noise himself. He didn't know if these were friendly creatures.

He slowed as the sounds got louder, creeping through the low vegetation that was scattered around the forest floor.

Finally he came upon a camp in a small clearing. There were about twenty men spread out over the small space, some sitting on tree stumps or boxes in front of a fire, others leaning against trees and still others standing what looked like guard at the entrance to the tent.

Peter hid himself in the bushes and silently watched as the men mulled around their camp. They seemed tired, like they had been traveling for a long while. As he watched, he noticed that no one ever left or entered the tent.

Something about the men kept him from announcing himself, but he was wondering about that tent. He paused, still watching for another few minutes before his curiosity won out. As quietly as he could, he crept around the edge of the clearing, keeping his body low and staying hidden behind bushes and trees.

When he reached the back of the tent he frowned. Normally, the High King of Narnia would have a sword or knife or something on him that would quickly and noiselessly cut through the thick canvas of the tent.

Making a face, Peter ducked down and slowly and gently lifted the back tent flap, praying that no one inside would notice.

His prayers went unanswered, but they were unnecessary anyway. He was extremely familiar with the pair of eyes that stared back at him, "Lucy?" he hissed.

She nodded, eyes wide, but before he could answer, he felt a sword at his back, "Now what do we have here?" asked a gruff voice and Peter groaned.

**XXX**

Edmund whirled in circles, looking for the centaur he'd seen through the mirror or the griffin. There was no sign of either and he sighed, an annoyed frown taking over his face. If Narnia didn't need him, then why was he there?

He let out a sigh and began to trudge towards the east, hoping he would find the Telmarine's fortress or Cair Paravel. It occurred to him that much time could have passed since the last time he and Lucy had been to Narnia.

His heart ached at the friends they had inadvertently lost in their long absences. The soldiers who had fought and died for him and his siblings had gone without recognition and the ones who had survived, without thanks. Edmund had come to believe that going back through the wardrobe that day to end their first trip to Narnia, was the worst thing that had ever happened to him.

But reopening old wounds wasn't going to help him at this point. What was going to help him was the gryphon he'd just spotted soaring up from the trees.

It appeared to be on a mission and began to fly over him. So Edmund did the only thing he could think of. He began to jump up and down, waving his arms in frantic motions over his head, shouting at the top of his lungs, "HEY! YOU, GRYPHON! LOOK DOWN HERE! IT'S KING EDMUND!"

He saw the creature's head dip down to observe him and watched as it began to circle slowly downward. It landed in front of him and glared at the boy with one large, dark eye. "What?" it hissed, clearly not in a talkative mood.

"I am King Edmund the Just" he said, mustering all the authority he possessed, "And I need safe passage to King Caspian" he nodded once, hoping Caspian had kept in the habit of naming his son after himself like all the others had, he was the tenth after all.

Apparently the authority he spoke with was enough because through the gryphon looked skeptical –he wasn't sure how he knew skepticism in a birds face, but he did- it leaned down to allow him to climb onto it's back. "My name is Blackwind" it informed him.

He smiled "Thank you Blackwind" he told it as he scrambled up.

Edmund held on tight as it took flight and admired the beauty of it as it's muscles moved beneath the feathers and fur to bring the magnificent creature to the skies.

It continued to fly, passing over forest and meadows and coming to a river where Edmund spotted something unusual. He had very good eyesight and could have sworn that on the bank of the river was a woman in a white dress, whirling around as if she was lost. Something about her figure was familiar.

"Down there!" he shouted over the sound of the wind and the gryphon's wings. Blackwind tipped it's head down, and Edmund could have sworn he saw it roll it's eyes before they plunged downwards towards the girl.

She looked up and saw them. She froze in place, fear written across her features and fell into a terrified crouch as they got closer.

Blackwind pulled up at the last moment and landed just past her, barely situated before Edmund was climbing off its back and running towards his sister.


	4. Chapter 4: Running Me In Circles

**A/N: Hi all! This was supposed to be up yesterday, sorry for that. I feel I should explain I like writing multiple points of view of the same timeline. So the next chapter will be about what the other characters are doing during this chapter and so on. Just so you know! **

**XXX**

Elara was grudgingly impressed by the small blonde boy who was now standing over a table covered in maps and battle plans.

Any boy could stand over it, but what was impressive was that Eustace seemed to understand it. Completely. And he was making suggestions.

Averin had never been in a war. Never in the island nation's long history had anyone ever attacked them. They were a poor country with few natural resources and even less trades. Almost everyone on the island was a fisherman. They had one blacksmith, two tailors and a baker. Other than that everyone fished. Including members of the royal family.

But because of her lack of battle history Elara could not help, nor could she understand any of the charts strewn across the table. And that bothered her.

She had been a very talented child all her life and as she became an adult, that hadn't changed. Shooting a bow and arrow had come naturally to her, as had swordplay. She had always been good at languages and literature.

Things came naturally to her and so when she encountered something she couldn't do, she got easily frustrated.

"Well, you definitely have enough troops to meet them wherever they land" Eustace pointed out, playing with one of the little wooden carved figures to represent parts of Caspian's large army.

"But we don't know where they'll land, it could be anywhere and there wouldn't be enough time to move the army if we picked the wrong spot" the King countered, his frustration clear in his voice.

All three of them looked down at the giant table, matching expressions of concentration adorning their faces.

"Do you have scouts?" Elara finally asked, looking up at the king.

He turned his face to her, surprised, "Yes, we do" he told her, reaching across Eustace for another set of wooden figures that represented scouts.

She nodded, "Then place them along the coast to see where the enemy army will land. Amass your army at a key point, someplace where they can be easily moved and someplace central. Then when the scouts can tell where the fleet will land, you can move the army there" she sounded so unsure the entire time she spoke, but Caspian was impressed.

He began to place the scouts at even intervals along the coastline, "It's a good plan" he admitted, impressed by the young woman he had assumed would simply be a nuisance.

Caspian realized he really knew nothing about this woman. She was young, very young for an ambassador, the ones he usually dealt with were much older and more experienced. He glanced over at her again to see her leaning one hip against the table, her head turned towards it, lips twisted into a scowl and arms folded across her chest. The ambassador's he dealt with usually had much better posture as well.

"Elara" he said her name for the first time and like the way it rolled off the tongue. She looked up, the scowl disappearing. "Eustace," he added for good measure, making the boy look up, "You both look exhausted, your journeys must have been long and difficult. I would like to extend my hospitality to you both and offer you places to stay. I would also like to invite you both to a council meeting this evening."

His kinglike manner made him sound polite, but both Elara and Eustace understood that he was telling them they were a mess and to go clean up so they could participate in his war council that evening.

"Thank you Caspian" Eustace said, smiling at the older man he thought of as an equal. To Elara it looked strange, but for the two of them it was just how things were. She hoped that the Kings and Queens of old hadn't been this disappointing.

After all the stories she'd heard about them, their cousin feel very far short of her expectations. Maybe he was a distant cousin… very distant.

They were escorted back to their rooms by very bored looking guards and when Elara opened the door to hers, there was a steaming bathtub and a plump, middle aged woman, folding towels neatly on the table.

At the sound of the door closing the woman turned. "Oh, there you are, here's your towels, I'll bring up some clothes for you in a bit" she said with a smile and left through the other door.

As soon as the woman was gone, Elara was yanking off the dirty, uncomfortable clothes she'd been wearing since she got to the castle and slid into the bath.

It was really hot, almost too hot, but it felt so nice on her sore and aching muscles, not to mention her slightly swollen shoulder.

As she relaxed into the water her brain rushed to figure out what the plan was for her. Narnia had to take care of itself, but Elara had her own people to worry about.

They could not face the army alone, it would be impossible. But there was no telling what the fleet from across the sea would do, or if it cared about a tiny island that had never been to war.

It was an impossible conundrum and Elara didn't want to be forced to solve it. However it appeared she had no choice in the matter. As she saw it, her options were to return home, tell her people she failed and hope the fleet from across the sea wanted nothing to do with them, or she could try to get her people to follow Caspian, though she doubted that would work. Or she had the third option of sticking with the current King of Narnia and the little boy, Eustace, and trying to stop this army.

She dunked her head under the warm water to wash her hair, rubbing the sweet smelling soap supplied for her into it and pulled her fingers through the short strands.

The water was filthy by the time she was done, but Elara got out completely clean. She had just wrapped herself in one of the towels when a knock came on the door. She walked towards it, clutching tightly to the towel and opened it to reveal the serving maid holding clothes, including a pair of comfortable looking pants and a loose shirt.

She gasped when she saw Elara all clean and in a towel. "Why, Miss, I'm terribly sorry!" she exclaimed. Elara assumed it was for catching her in a towel and was about to tell her it was alright when the woman began again, "I'll go put these back and bring you a dress. Covered in all that dirt I thought you was a boy!" she turned to go.

She wasn't sure whether to be offended or to stop the woman and just ask for the more comfortable looking clothes anyway. Finally she found her voice, "Ma'am, it's fine, I'll just take those clothes" she cut in, letting some of the authority she had watched her father practice slip into her voice.

Though the poor servant looked unsure, she extended her arm with the set of clothes. Elara took them and sent the poor woman a kind smile before closing the door.

She changed quickly, toweling off her hair and choosing to ignore the brush on the vanity and let it curl the way it always did.

After readying herself, even using the piece of kohl she'd had in her discarded pants pocket to line her eyes, simply out of habit. She sat on the bed and tried to think.

It wasn't working out very well.

Elara was a restless soul, she spent all her time outside, and being hindered by a ceiling and walls was not helping her concentration. She found herself fidgeting and swinging her legs back and forth against the bed.

Finally after attempting to think for a few minutes she huffed out a sigh and got up, heading straight for the balcony to at least be out in the fresh air.

It helped, though the drop was dizzying. Instead she looked up at the sky.

"What's going to happen to me?" she wondered aloud. Everything was so uncertain and she didn't like uncertainty.

Her entire life had been timed by the tides of the ocean and the rise and setting of the sun. This waiting around went against everything she knew.

So she decided to stop. If the Kings and Queens of old weren't going to come back, she might as well head home and tell the King of their options. She wasn't a ruler and didn't have to make these big decisions on her own. She was only eighteen after all.

She turned back to her room and headed for the door, off to try to find where King Caspian might be. It would only be polite for her to tell him she was leaving.

After getting lost about four times and swearing profusely in both her people's language and the common tongue of Narnia she finally pushed open the right door. But at the absolutely wrong time.

**XXX**

Caspian had torn out of his strategy room the minute the page boy had informed him that they had a scout waiting to inform him of the fleet.

The poor page had to run to keep up with his King's long strides.

They finally reached the main hall where the gryphon scout was crouched uncomfortably. It still managed a strange bow when Caspian entered. He returned it quickly.

"Why don't we have this conversation on the balcony upstairs, I'm sure you would be more comfortable with room to spread out your wings" he said with a forced patience, when all he wanted to do was take the creature and shake it until it told him everything.

"Thank you, your grace" he said, bowing his birdlike head once more before ambling out of the main hall.

Caspian raced back upstairs, the page having given up on the entire endeavor or following him. The King threw open the doors that led to the spacious balcony and waved frantically to the scout who was circling the castle.

As soon as the creature saw him, it ducked its head and shot towards the balcony, landing perfectly but forcing him to back up.

"What news?" he asked, breathless, partially from his sprint up there and partially from his anxiety over the impending war.

"I have seen the ships of the fleet from across the sea" the gryphon said, his voice weary and Caspian belatedly realized that the poor creature had just flown from the northern seas straight to the castle. It must have been a long and exhausting trip.

"What of them?" he asked, unable to keep all the impatience out of his voice. It was imperative that he knew everything he could about the fleet to decide how best to protect Narnia.

"There must have been a hundred ships, all of them in the fleet, moving, but no one was aboard" the gryphon told him, puzzlement in its eyes, unsure that it had really seen what it thought it had.

Caspian's jaw dropped, "No one?" he asked, about to continue when the door to the strategy room banged open.

He whirled to see his least favorite girl of the day standing at the door, her hand still held out as if she had just pushed the loud wooden door open.

"Elara? Is there something I can do for you?" he asked through gritted teeth. This was the absolute worst time she could be bothering him. She'd already gotten herself into enough trouble, and right now Narnia needed him.

The poor girl could sense his annoyance and had the good grace to look completely mortified. But she squared her shoulders and looked him in the eye, "Your highness, I will be returning to my people. The Kings and Queens of old are not here to help us and the King will want to make a decision about how our people will defend ourselves from the fleet. Thank you for your hospitality, and I hope to see you again under better circumstances." The speech sounded rehearsed, and it probably was, but once again he was impressed by her wisdom for such a young woman.

"If there is anything to defend yourselves against" he said and watched her brow furrow. "As my scout was just telling me, it appears that no one is on board any of the ships in the fleet" he informed her, feeling compelled by guilt to tell her the latest news on the fleet.

"However, the ships sail a straight course, they are clearly controlled by something" the Gryphon cut in, "I even saw one ship pull up a sail, though it was impossible to see if anyone was doing it"

Elara looked pale under her tan and Caspian figured he didn't look much better. How was it even possible? An entire hundred ship fleet, manning itself? It was ridiculous.

But he trusted the scout. Something about the confusion and disbelief in the creatures own eyes made him believe its tale.

Elara's eyes told another story. Hers also held the disbelief that all three felt, but they were dominated by worry, confusion and hopelessness. He pitied the poor girl. She was so young, wise or not, she had o many decisions to make that were so far beyond her.

Caspian turned back to the Gryphon, "Thank you for the information, you will be taken care of here. Anything you need, just let my page know" he said, dismissing the creature with his words.

He turned back to the girl in the doorway. There were times when he thought she looked like a woman, a real warrior, like the night they'd met her on the pirate ship. And then there were times like these when she looked like little more than a girl, scared and alone in a foreign place.

"Come" he said, pulling out a chair for her. Almost as if in a trance, she walked over to the chair and sat down in it. She stared at her hands, callused and a little scarred but still thin and delicate, reminding him again that she was young.

"How old are you?" he asked almost without meaning to.

She bit her lip, still staring at her hands as if she wasn't entirely in the room with him, "I'm eighteen your highness" she said, even lost in her own thoughts, remembering to be polite.

"And pray tell, how does an eighteen year old girl become the King's favorite ambassador?" he asked, his tone soothing, hoping to comfort the poor girl.

But Elara just locked up again, the sad and terrified look gone from her eyes, she sat up, "We need to inform the rest of your war council of the latest development" she stated, suddenly all warrior replacing the scared girl that had sat there not seconds ago.

"What about your people?" Caspian asked. Hadn't she just burst into his room to inform him she would be leaving? And suddenly she would stay.

"My people will join you in this, in an alliance of sorts, we will do everything we can to stop this fleet" she said, and he could tell she'd come up with the decision on the spot.

Understanding that she might want a minute to retract that statement, Caspian was quiet. But when she remained silent, still waiting for his response he sighed. "Well then, we shall gather my war council and have one of my advisors draft up a treaty of alliance" he agreed. He wasn't going to insult her by checking if she was sure. She was an adult and had been sent to him for a reason. Clearly her king thought she was capable, so he was going to assume the same.

**XXX**

Eustace was lost. He had never been to Caspian's castle before, seeing as he'd spent his last trip to Narnia mostly on a boat.

The place was huge, and that was an understatement. Or maybe Eustace was just so used to the tiny townhouse he was getting overly confused at the sprawling castle.

He could have sworn his room was down the hall to the right, but he had poked his head into every room down that hall and couldn't find the room that Caspian had put him in.

Finally he gave up, choosing to wander instead and hopefully stumble upon someone who could point him in the right direction.

The hope was fulfilled a little too literally. As he rounded a corner, he slammed into something, tumbling over it and falling, crushing whatever it was beneath him.

Whatever it was happened to be alive, because it squirmed and struggled before barking, "Get off me!" in a rather annoyed tone.

Eustace rolled off the poor thing, having to somersault to avoid the wall. He looked up from his upside down position on the floor to see a very disgruntled dwarf clamoring to its feet.

"What do you think you're doing?" the dwarf asked him with a huff, hands planted firmly on its little hips.

To a boy who had never really seen a dwarf before, he looked ridiculous, and Eustace had to hold in his laughter.

"Well?!" the dwarf huffed, his annoyed expression even more comical upside down. And try as he might, Eustace couldn't hold in his laughter.

This obviously further offended the dwarf, who was beginning to turn red in his annoyance. He opened his mouth to say something else when another voice from behind Eustace cut him off.

"Trumpkin, what are you doing with this poor boy?" a kind, slightly accented voice asked. Immediately silencing, the 'poor boy' in question rolled over to look up at the man speaking. He was a kind looking gentleman. He was ramrod thin and very tall with smile lines around his eyes that were crinkled as he looked down at the boy.

"The little brat just ran me over and then goes and laughs at me!" the dwarf, Trumpkin, exclaimed, indignantly, his hands still on his hips.

The tall man shook his head, still smiling and leaned down to offer Eustace a hand, "What is your name my boy?" he asked as Eustace took it.

"Eustace Scrubb sir" he squeaked out, then thought better of being timid, "I am the cousin of the Kings and Queens of old" he added.

The tall man's smile dropped and his eyes went wide and the dwarf uttered something very rude behind him in disbelief.

"I am! Ask King Caspian!" he demanded stomping his foot. He knew he looked like the immature and spoiled boy he'd been when he first arrived in Narnia. He was better than that boy now and he needed to show it to be taken seriously in this place.

"Young man, we will bring you to his highness, but speaking so to the King will not earn you any mercy, even as young as you are" the tall man scolded, holding onto Eustace's wrist as he began to march down the hall, dragging the boy with him.

To his annoyance the dwarf followed them, chuckling lightly as he did. Eustace gave him a dirty look before gently extricating his wrist from the tall man's bony grip.

They man marched him back to the room where he, Caspian and that foreign girl had met. The two were there already and looked up as the door opened, along with two men Eustace didn't recognize.

"Eustace! Thank you for finding him, Philario, he wasn't in his room when I sent a servant to fetch him" the King said, teasing the boy with his tone but smiling.

Both the dwarf and the tall skinny man, whose name was apparently Philario, stared at Caspian in disbelief. He winked at Eustace, laughing in his head at the reaction of his advisors.

"You know this brat?" Trumpkin asked, still disbelieving.

Caspian sighed, he needed his advisors to not be against each other, he counted Eustace and Elara in that number however much he didn't want to. "Yes, I do, he is Lucy's little cousin" he told the dwarf, using the name of Trumpkin's favorite Pevensie to make his point.

"Now," he continued, ignoring the look of grudging respect on Turmpkins face, "All my advisors are here and we must go over strategy, making allowances for this newest development" he informed them.

The group gathered around the table. Rodrigo opened his mouth to say something, most likely to ask what the latest development was, but he was cut off by the door banging open.

Everyone in the room turned to the page boy who was red-faced and panting in the doorway. "Your highness" he got out, then stopped again to catch his breath, "There is a boy in the courtyard claiming to be King Edmund of Narnia, there's a woman with him, but she won't speak. He asked to see you."


	5. Chapter 5: Anybody There

**A/N: I meant to get this out Friday, but then it wasn't quite done and so I decided to add an extra scene, the one at the end, and that took me till today to fix. So enjoy! I like this chapter and in the next one everyone will FINALLY be on the same page :)**

**XXX**

Peter was yanked roughly out the back of the tent, still on his knees and looking up at the men around him. The one who had yanked him out of the tent now stood over him, glaring at the younger man.

The man was average in all senses of the word, average height, average build, brown hair and eyes that had smile and laugh lines around him. His one defining factor was the thick scar that Peter could barely see poking out of his collar, like someone had tried to slit his throat and failed.

"And just who might you be? Let me guess, King Edmund the Just" the man mocked in a rough but soothing voice that made Peter think of waves hitting the rocks on the shore by Cair Paravel.

"Peter the Magnificent, actually" he said after a moment of surprise, Lucy must have told them that she was one of the Queens of old, "And it's High King" he added.

The man laughed, but his eyes didn't crinkle the way they should have with those smile lines. "Was that your plan?" he asked, "To pretend you're the Kings and Queens of old?"

Peter said nothing and the man's expression turned serious, "Narnia is at war, and this is no time to be spinning lies and playing games" he snapped.

"Narnia is at war?" the younger man's eye went wide. That must be why they were there, Narnia needed them and he and Lucy were wasting their time with these fools who thought they were helping Caspian.

Hoping with all his might that this was indeed the same Caspian they had known and not Caspian the fourteenth or something he squared his shoulders and tried to look as Kinglike as possible, "I demand myself and my sister are taken to King Caspian immediately."

A shadow of doubt crossed the man's face for the briefest of seconds. Then his annoyed expression returned, "We'll bring you to Caspian's castle all right, but you won't be seeing the king" he snapped, his eyes dismissing them.

The man who had grabbed Peter could barely be described as a man, he was maybe Edmund's age with freckles splattered across his cheeks and a nervous look in his grey eyes.

As the man with the misleading laugh lines walked off, the younger man heaved Peter up and brought him awkwardly around the front of the tent, shoving him in so Lucy had to scramble back to avoid being knocked over.

The flap fell back over the entrance and the light in the tiny tent dimmed slightly. Lucy looked at him, eyebrows raised. She was beginning to look like Susan just a bit, not that Peter had really been home enough to notice that before. So much about her was older and more mature, she was clearly no longer the child she had been when they first came to Narnia.

It was strange knowing what all his siblings would look like as they got older, but Lucy continued to surprise him, she was most definitely not the Queen of Narnia she had been during the Golden Age. Her different life had changed her and the way she grew up.

"Well that was a great rescue mission" she said, the sarcasm in her voice something else she never had in Narnia.

Her older brother chose to ignore her, "What do you think he meant when he said Narnia was at war?" he asked, shifting to make himself comfortable.

Lucy frowned, "I don't know, but it must be bad if Caspian has patrols in the forest. It means he's scared and knowing Caspian, it takes a lot to get him scared" she pointed out.

Peter agreed with a nod, "Then we absolutely have to see him" he said. Then it hit him, he and Lucy were in Narnia, together, without Ed and Susan. "How did you get here?" he asked.

"I was outside at school and the wind brought me here" Lucy shrugged. She had always been the most comfortable with Narnia of the siblings. Maybe it was because she'd been so young when they first came.

"Why are you here then?" she asked, "I thought Aslan told you that you were never coming back" she left out that he had told her the same thing when she left the last time.

It had just been so difficult to talk to Peter or Susan about Narnia after they'd been banished of sorts. Susan moved on so completely, Lucy sometimes wondered if she hadn't forgotten the magical land in the wardrobe entirely. And Peter had thrown himself into his work so thoroughly that Lucy could tell he wanted nothing more than to return to Narnia and stay there forever.

Peter ran a hand through his already messy blond hair "I haven't the slightest idea" he admitted, the stress of this surprise trip to Narnia finally making itself evident.

They were clearly not there for a pleasure visit, and neither had any idea how they were going to find Caspian or whoever was in charge. Worse they didn't know if they were alone or if Edmund and Susan had somehow made it.

"I feel like every other visit we ever made to Narnia was so easy. We always found someone to help us or we were all together. Being here alone was terrifying" Lucy spoke his thoughts and looked again more like the young sister he had known.

Peter reached over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into his side the way it had always been between them. She was his baby sister and he was going to take care of her no matter what.

The tent flap opened again and the leader of the group poked his head in, "Up you two, looks like you're going to the King sooner than you thought" he mocked. He grabbed Peter's free arm and pulled him out of the tent, not hard enough to hurt him, but roughly just the same.

The younger man who he assumed had been watching their tent reached in and helped Lucy out, behaving more like a gentleman.

The makeshift campsite was all packed up and he and Lucy were piled onto horses behind riders to be taken to Caspian. They could only hope that luck was with them.

**XXX**

"Susan!" Edmund cried as he ran towards his sister, still standing there, frozen in shock. He slowed as he reached her, big enough now that he would knock her over if he hit her running.

"You're here too?" she managed out, still standing frozen where she had ducked down in fear of being attacked by a gryphon.

"Yeah!" he said with a grin, not understanding why she was being so short with him or why she seemed so shaken.

"Oh, Ed!" she cried and threw her arms around him, hugging him close to hold herself up. She was so relieved not to be alone in Narnia. Who knew how much the place had changed since she'd last been.

"It's okay Susan" Edmund said to her, patting her back gently. It had finally hit him that Susan was not prepared for Narnia. She had put it entirely out of her head and had never planned on returning. Gone was the strong, gentle sister he had known who could shoot arrows better than anyone and who wasn't afraid of battle or Narnia. She was replaced by a scared and confused woman out of her element.

And if Narnia needed them as badly as Edmund thought it did, then she wasn't up for the job.

She finally pulled back, wiping under her eyes for stray tears. Susan knew she had to be strong for this and so, with tears in her eyes she squared her shoulders and looked at Edmund. She hadn't realized recently but she had to look up to him now. He had grown so much and she had been too preoccupied with her new life to notice.

"You alright?" he asked, adopting the same tone she had used so many times when he was upset as a child. It brought a sad smile to her slightly trembling lips.

"Yes" she said, then looked past him to the gryphon he had arrived on. The creature was pacing wildly in its impatience. "Do you have somewhere to be?" she asked them.

Ed glanced back at Blackwind, "We are going to the King of Narnia" he said. His sister was fragile at the moment and he wasn't sure how the mention of Caspian would affect her.

She nodded, "Can you carry me?" she asked Blackwind, only a slight tremble in her voice.

"If I have to" it answered, the tone of its voice not quite as biting as the words, probably in pity for the wreck that Susan was.

The gryphon kneeled so Edmund could climb on. Once he was situated he held out a hand for his hesitant sister.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before taking the outstretched hand and climbing aboard the gryphon as well.

Blackwind needed a running start with two passengers to weight him down and then they were airborne and Susan remembered how wonderful flying could be.

There was initially that strange sensation in her stomach like it was being left on the ground they had just left and then there was the feeling of weightlessness that made flying so unique.

They soared over Narnian forest and meadows that were so unique to the magical land. As the bitterly cold air flooded her lungs, Susan could feel herself relaxing and letting the part of her, however tiny, that had always remained in Narnia, hoping that the rest of her would be allowed back, flood her veins and thoughts.

As they reached the end of the forest, Susan began to recognize where they were and frowned. It was awfully close to the Telmarine fortress from which she assumed Caspian had ruled.

"Ed!" she shouted over the sound of the air through Blackwinds wings. He didn't seem to hear her so she put her head right next to his and shouted in his ear, "Are we going to Caspian's fortress?" she asked.

Edmund turned to her and she caught the tail end of a guilty expression as he wiped it from his face, "Blackwind said he was taking us to the king" he shrugged and Susan could tell he was lying.

She was about to say so when Blackwind dipped down and began to spiral towards the castle that looked the same as it had when she had left years ago.

"Ed" she grumbled, but the sound of the wind rushing past them drowned out her annoyed mutter.

They slammed to the ground in the town causing the few people milling about to jump in surprise and scurry away.

A guard came forward, "What is your business here?" he asked, his hand clamped tightly around his crossbow though he held it at his side.

Before either of the humans could answer, Blackwind cut them off "We have important news for King Caspian about the incoming fleet" he said.

The guard nodded and pointed them towards the castle, as if they needed directions; the thing was huge.

Blackwind shrugged his shoulders in an indication that he was no longer going to play pony and let humans ride on him, though he had the courtesy to bend for them to get off and wait so he could approach the castle with them. King and Queen or not, one of them was still a lady and manners were very important to him.

Their progress across the bridge was painfully slow for the winged creature but Edmund seemed to be on top of the world. He was in his element in Narnia, behaving as f he was still king.

Blackwind had no idea if the two he had carried to the Kings fortress were truly the Kings and Queens of old, but as they reached the gate he supposed he was about to find out.

One of the guards in front of it stepped forward, "Who are you and what is your business with the king?" he asked, almost exactly like the first guard had.

This time Edmund spoke first "I am King Edmund the Just and we need to speak with Caspian urgently" his voice rang with an authority that Blackwind had never heard from him before.

It clearly worked, because the guard fell into a bow, "Your Highness" he said before jumping up and signaling for the gate to be opened.

As it slowly rattled upward Susan clenched her hands into fists. She was not thrilled about this and the gryphon beside her could tell it took all the little self control she had left not to turn and run.

As soon as the gate was high enough Edmund strode forward, the guard scurrying behind him, ducking just slightly under the gate, "Your Highness, I shall go have the King informed you are here" he said and ran off towards the castle, muttering something about a horn.

Had the horn brought them back to Narnia like it had the first time Caspian blew it? He couldn't be sure, but it was as good a guess as any.

They stopped in the courtyard, right in front of the huge double doors to the castles main hall. Before Edmund could even put his hand on the doorknocker, they swung open and out rushed Caspian followed by a handful of advisors, a young woman and… "Eustace?"

**XXX**

Elara was up and sprinting after Caspian as the King ran through the castle, followed by half the group from the meeting room.

They reached the main hall and she tore down the stairs after the king, who with the advantage of longer legs had a decent lead on her.

She saw him yank open the door as she hit the bottom of the stairs followed closely by Sigan, a man who looked just a tad too old to run as fast as he was.

But as she skidded to a halt behind Caspian staring in utter disbelief at the figures in the courtyard, she forgot all about older men and how they ran.

"Eustace?" one of them asked as the boy huffed into place just behind Philario who was also red-faced and panting.

The one who spoke was the dark haired boy, probably no more than Elara's own age. He was wearing strange clothing and shoes though he carried himself with a kind of authority. His dark hair contrasted his pale skin and light eyes in a way that proved he wasn't a Telmarine.

Eustace's response sealed the deal, "Edmund!" he cried and ran to hug the older boy, "What are you doing here?!" he asked, as King Edmund the Just hugged him back.

Elara glanced at Caspian to see his reaction to the King but his gaze was focused on the young woman who stood right next to the large gryphon with them, as if she was trying to hide behind it.

She was beautiful, stunning in a way that made Elara feel more than inadequate. Her long chestnut brown hair hung over her shoulders and down her back in soft curls, and her fair skin almost glowed in the cloudy light. She had perfect, bow-shaped lips and long slim legs that could be seen out the bottom of her white dress.

She had to be High Queen Susan. And with the way Caspian was looking at her, he certainly didn't view _her_ as a sister.

Her attention was reverted back to King Edmund when he answered his cousin, "I haven't the slightest idea, one moment I was in the loo and the next there's a door into Narnia and off I went! Though Susan never told me how she got here" he looked back at his sister, putting everyone's attention on her.

She tried to shrink even more behind the gryphon but it was too late, everyone was staring. Elara felt almost bad for her, but she didn't see the confident High Queen Susan the Gentle she'd expected.

Actually neither of them were what she'd expected. King Edmund was clearly a king, but he was just so _young_, she had expected to find full grown men, maybe around Caspian's age at the youngest. She knew King Edmund was third oldest of the four, but shouldn't he have at least been a few years older?

High Queen Susan confused her too. She did seem gentle, but she also seemed shy and terrified which went against the image of the great archer and Queen that the legends painted.

"I opened a door and Narnia was on the other side" she said softly. Even terrified, her voice was beautiful like music or water.

Elara had always considered water the most beautiful thing of all, as did all her people. They had water dancers that performed for the king often. They moved in ways that represented the ocean or a river and it was one of her favorite court attractions.

Caspian's answer dragged her out of her memories. "Well, it seems that the horn gave us at least two of the Kings and Queens of old" he said. There was something off in his voice, like he was trying and just barely failing to hide some emotion. She might have been the only one who noticed it, but everyone else was focused on the two.

"Have Peter and Lucy not come?" King Edmund asked, concern knitting his brow. Caspian shook his head and the boys frown deepened.

"Why don't you all come inside, we can get you two clean clothes and thank your gryphon friend here, I never did get your name?" Philario stepped forward, cutting in. He had a point, they should go inside because the people in the courtyard had begun to stare, some whispering to each other

"My name is Blackwind, sir" he said, trying to seem as human as possible. It was a difficult task when he looked nothing like a human, but he was aware many Telmarines still disliked Narnians and he didn't want them to mistrust him. Though they all seemed too scared of something else and he knew what.

Caspian led them inside, his expression unreadable, though those who knew him could tell things were running through his head rapid fire.

Elara watched him closely. She didn't know all that much about the young King, but she knew a lot about people. If she had to guess she would say he and High Queen Susan had history and a lot of it and now he wasn't sure what to do.

She pitied the poor man, but as the fact that a king and queen of old were present, her elation took over.

"DLF?" King Edmund asked, with a teasing smile on his face as the doors closed behind them. Everyone stared at him, confused except for the dwarf who had arrived to the strategy room with Eustace and Philario.

He stepped forward with an insincere scowl on his face, "Not you too" he said and King Edmund's face broke into a smile as he hugged the tiny man.

Then Trumpkin proceeded to introduce everyone with some help from Eustace. King Edmund went around and took everyones hand, moving it up and down once in a strange greeting.

"And this is Elara, she is an ambassador from Averin" Eustace said when they reached her. She held out her hand for him to shake and he looked at her in surprise, his eyes giving her a once over.

"It's nice to meet you my lady" he said with an almost shy smile.

"And you as well your majesty" she dropped into a bow, hoping to be as impressive as possible, he was after all a King of Narnia.

"Well, would your majesties like to have a rest and change of clothes before we get on to battle plans?" Philario asked, his accent making him sound even smoother than usual, making up for his King's silence.

High Queen Susan looked like she would have loved the break and something else to wear, but her brother interrupted "Battle plans?" he asked.

Caspian finally jumped in, "Narnia is under threat of war. You tow couldn't have come at a better time" he said, his eyes flickering only briefly to High Queen Susan.

"Then we'll go straight to the battle plans" the King decided, standing a little straighter and his eyes hardening.

"Your highness" Trumpkin hissed up at him, "No one is going to take any of your plans seriously in those clothes" he pointed out.

King Edmund looked down at himself and then back up with a tight smile, "Very true my dear little friend. If someone could get me something to wear we can re-convene soon?" he asked, the way he said it was less of a question and more of a statement.

Servants were called and they scrambled to bow to the ancient royalty before turning to escort them to their rooms.

After a moments hesitation, Elara hurried after High Queen Susan. The older girl gave her a distrustful look as she fell into step with them.

The foreign girl flashed her a smile that she hoped was reassuring. "It's an honor to meet you, your majesty" she said.

High Queen Susan frowned but murmured a "Thank you" clearly not in the mood for conversation.

But Elara wasn't one to give up, "It must be wonderful to be back in Narnia again, though I have only been here for a few days, I find it a lovely place" she told the Queen.

Susan looked at her sharply, her attention finally caught, "Where are you from?" she asked, clearly she hadn't paid attention during Elara's introduction to her little brother.

"I am from the island of Averin, my lady" the younger girl answered her, trying to keep all her excitement and impatience out of her voice.

"Oh" the High Queen answered, her interest gone.

Elara frowned, "I hope I haven't disappointed you, your highness" she started, but Susan cut her off.

"None of this is a disappointment, it's a nightmare. No, it is not wonderful to e back in Narnia and I would be much obliged if you would leave me in peace" she snapped, taking even the leading servant by surprise.

Elara stopped walking in her shock and the High Queen didn't even seem to notice as she continued following the open-mouthed servant.

The girl left behind frowned, there was most definitely something wrong here, and she was going to figure out what it was. The best place to start was the more agreeable of the two monarchs of old.

So she turned on her heel and walked as fast as she could back towards the strategy room, determined to get answers.


End file.
